Pole climber



1951 w. D. MCCAMMOND 2,570,001

POLE CLIMBER Filed Dec. 13, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet.2

l A .z 22 :2

Jig. .5.

Wm Ifi lMIgVEN TOR.

Patented Oct. 2, 1951 Walter Di McCammond, Flushing, N. -Y.,- assignor,

by mesne assignments, to. Mine SafetyAppli-u ances Company, Pittsburgh,

of Pennsylvania Ra, a 'corporation Application December is, 1947, Serial No. 791,525

Claims. (01127- 27) l This invention relates to pole climbers such as those used by telephone linemen, and more particularly to climbers having removable spurs.

It is among the objects of this invention to ,provide a pole climber which has a spur that is readily removable from the leg iron, which is formed to safely hold the spur in position until it is desired to remove it, and which cannot release the spur as long as the wearers weight is on the climber.

In accordance with this invention a leg iron of a pole climber has a shank and a foot-supporting portion. The lower end of the shank has a vertical slot in which is received a vertical rib projecting from the body. of a removable spur that engages the outside of the shank around the slot. The upper end of the rib and the adjoining portion of the shank are provided with interengaging detents to hold the upper end of the spur in place. The lower end of the rib and the side walls of the slot are provided with aligned holes through which extends a removable pin. Preferably, the rib extends below the body of the spur, and a portion of the shank extends part .way up the outer face of that extension. When the pin is removed, the rib can be lowered in the slot until the upper end of the spur is disengaged from the shank and swung outward, and then the spur can be lifted to pull the lower end of the rib out of the slot.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of my climber with the fastening straps broken away; Fig. 2 is a view of the spur side of the climber; Fig. 3 is anenlarged fragmentary view from the opposite side; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section through the lower portion of the climber, showing the spur in elevation; and Figs. 5 and 6 are inner and top views, respectively, of the spur alone.

Referring to the drawings, a leg iron has a shank l which has a flat upper portion adapted to extend up the inside of the leg of the wearer. This flat portion is reinforced by a central rib 2.

' Slidably mounted on the upper portion of the shank is a metal sleeve 3 that conforms to the shape of the shank. The sleeve and the rib are provided with a plurality of vertically spaced holes 4 through some of which cotter pins 5 extend for holding the sleeve in different vertically adjusted positions on the shank. The inner face of the sleeve carries a leather pad I for engaging the leg. Fastened to the outer face of the sleeve are wire loops 8 that support the usual strap 9 that can be buckled around the leg to hold the upper end of the climber in plac againstvthe leg.

The lower end of the shank of the leg iron merges into afoot-supporting portionrl l or stirrup, adapted to extend beneath the shoe of the wearer directly in front of the heel. The outer end of this stirrup is curved upwardly and provided with a pair of upwardly converging slots l2 (Fig. 3). Straps [3 are fastened through these slots and are adapted to be buckled around the ankle in the usual manner to hold the foot in place in the stirrup.

The lower portion of the shank is provided with a spur l5 for digging into the pole up which the wearer wishes to climb. It is a feature of this invention that this spur is securely held in place, but yet itcan be removed when it is desired to sharpen it or replace it. Accordingly, the lower portion of the shank is provided with a vertical 20 "slot [6 just-wide enough to. snuglyreceive a yerticalrib ll projecting inwardfrom the body l8 of thespur. As sho'wnin Figs. 5 and 6,th ,spur body is wider than the rib and projects beyond its top andopposite, sides so that thenbody will overlap the sidesof the slot and engage the outside of the shank, thereby positively limiting the distance that the spur can project into the shank.

At. the upperend of, the slotthe shank is provided 'with a recess 19 ('Fig's 2 and 4) to permit the .upper part of thespur body to fit into the shank so that it will not catch on anything.

In .order to hold the upper end of the spur .in slot M5, the upper end of rib H is provided with ;a downwardly extending notch 2| that receives a tongue. 22 projecting down from the portion of the. shank at the upperiend of the slot. As shown in Fig. 4, therib is held up high enough in the slot. to keepthetongue in the notch by means of (a: removable pin} 23. .extending throughaligned holes in the lower end of the rib and the side walls of the slot. This is the only purpose of the pin, which therefore need not be large, because the lower end of rib I1 is prevented from swinging out of the slot by a means of a portion or web 24 of the shank which extends part way up the outside surface of the rib that extends below the spur body. As a safety measure, another pin 26 extends through the shank and across the slot directly below rib I! so that if anything happens to the upper pin, the rib can not slide down in the slot and become released from tongue 22 at its upper end.

When it is desired to remove the spur from the shank, the two pins 23 and 26 are removed so that the rib can be lowered in the slot far enough to allow its upper end to be swung out upward to withdraw the lower end of its rib from the lower end of the slot behind web 24.

It will be noted that the spur is held safely in place in a simple manner, and that as long as the weight of the wearer is on the spur it cannot accidentallybecomeadisengaged from the leg .iron because tongue 22 will be held down in notch 21. The width of the spur body prevents it from ever passing through the slot, while web 24 holds the lower end of rib I! in the slot as long as the tongue is in the notch.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the j-principle and con through, a removable spur having a body engaging the outside of the-shank around the slot and having a vertical rib projectinginto the slot, the upper end of the rib and the adjoining portion of the shank being provided with an interengaging vertical tongue and notch to hold the upper 'end of=the spur :in "place, the lower end of said rib and the side walls of the slot being'provided with aligned holes, and a'removable pin extending through said'holes. I V

2. .A pole climber comprising a leg iron having a shank and 1a foot-supporting portion, thelower end of the shank havin a vertical slot therethrough, aremovable spur having a body en ag- 'ing the outside .oi'the shank around the slot and having a vertical'rib projecting into the-slot, the upper end of the rib being provided'with a notch and the adjoining portion .of'the shank having a tonguepro'jecting down into "the notch to hold the-upper end of the-spur in place, the'lower end of said rib and the sidewalls of the slotbeing provided'with aligned 'holes,.and a removablepin extending through 'said'holes,

3. A pole climber comprising a leg iron having a shank and afoot-supporting portion, the lower "end or the shank having a vertical slot therethrough, a removable spur having 'a body -engaging the outside of ithe'shank aroundthe slot and having a vertical 'rib'projecting into the slot and extending below said body, said shank having *a 5 portion extending part way up the outer face of :said lid extension to hold the'loWer-end -of the rib in place, the upper end t' he rib and :t e

.4 adjoining portion of the shank being provided with interengaging detents to hold the upper end of the spur in place, the lower end of the rib and the side walls of the slot being provided with aligned holes, and a pin extending through said holes and removable therefrom to permit the rib to be lowered in said slot to disengage said detents, whereby the spur can'be removed from the shank.

4. A pole climber comprising a leg iron having a shank and a foot-supporting portion, the lower end of the shank having a vertical slot theretlirough, aremovable spur having a body engag- 'ing the'outside of the shank around the slot and "ashan'k and-a foot-supporting portion, the lower end of the shank'having a vertical 'slot therehaving averticaliib projecting into the slot and extending below said body, said shank having a into the notch "to hold the upper end of the spur in place, the lower portion of said slot having two vertically spaced pairs of holes through its side walls, the lower end of the rib having a transverse hole throughit aligned with the upper or said pair'of holes and the other pair being below the rib, and pins extending through said holes and removable therefrom to permit the rib to be lowered'in said slotto disengage said tongue and notch, whereby the spur can be removed 'from the shank.

' '5. A pole-climber comprising a leg iron having a 'shank and a foot-supporting portion, the lower end of the shank having a vertical slot there'- :through, a removable spur having a body engaging Ltheoutside of the shank around the slot and having a vertical rib projecting into th slot,

the upper endof the rib being provided with a :notch, the .outside of the shank attthe uppenend of said slot being provided with a recess receiving the upperend of said spur body and forming .a :tongue projecting down into said notch to hold the :upperendpf the spurin place, the lower end 50f said rib and the side walls of the slot being provided with aligned holes and aremovablepin extendingthrough said holes.

WALTER i D. MGC-AMMON D.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS :Number Name Date 596,113 Howard Dec. 28, 1897 613 00'? Howard V Oct. 25, 1898 

